Doesn't the youngest always complain that they hardly get any pictures?

For Janey it is seeming to be quite the opposite.

Perhaps because she is so happy.

My sis-in-law made me the most brilliant gift.

She printed out a sign for each of the first 12 months of Janey's life.

It is something I had always wanted to do for both Halley and Lucy, but at the time seemed too much to pull together. (Blame it on the insane colic and reflux.) After I missed taking a picture that first month I just threw the plans in the trash.

So now, each month on the 30th, I am going to grab one of these sweet signs, some fun fabric and click away.

Hopefully she won't sleep through them all.

I think the signs would make the best baby gift. Pick a cute frame and font, plug in the dates, print and you are all set. Useful, creative and very affordable.

But I would fly to Australia in a heartbeat. I love it that much. Everything about it. I would move there if I could and sweet Jessica just gave me another couple reasons.

She sent this amazing magazine that absolutely makes me want to say goodbye to Martha forever.

It is charming and colorful and much less fussy than Ms. Stewart. I want to try every single recipe and make every single craft.

To make my care package even better (as if that was possible) she found this fabulous fabric "on holiday". Do you know how bad I want to say "I'm going on holiday" without sounding like a dork? If I were an Aussie I could. Anyway, it is summer down under and this fabric has my mind spinning with ideas. It is so me, it is so perfect, and I am going to sew the girls little dresses, or even pillows for their rooms. Adorable. The butterflies? You better bet that those will be hair clips before you know it. Thanks Jessica, you are so thoughtful. I am dreaming about Australia every day now.

It has been 60 degrees here lately, and for us wimpy Californians, that means we are freezing. It was super easy and I stood staring at the washing machine, I was so excited to see how it would look frayed. On top of it's cuteness,it's super cozy too! I made it from 6 1/2 inch flannel squares I got here, which eliminated over half of the cutting. Cute, cozy, under $10 and finished in less than an hour. My kind of project.

Lastly, my sewing machine has been getting a workout today. This basket of fabric strips is just a few steps away from becoming Pretty Messy headbands, hair clips and pins. Keep a eye out for them in my shop, as well as a giveaway later on this week.

Okay, so I blubbered on about how un-Orange County I am the other day. Well, there is still a little OC in me. I really need to get my fake blonde on.

Look at my roots!!!!!!!!

2. My kid loves me.

Of course she does, right? Well, she loves me enough to let me get my fake blonde on and not make a peep the entire time we are at the "salon" (read further to see why salon is in quotes.) She came genetically wired to know that a blonde mommy is a happier mommy.

Here is where she sat while I was slathered in bleach.

3. What I will do to save money.

Look at the sweet wallpaper in the picture below. Would you like for me to find out where it is from so you can get your own? How about those amazing pictures. I am guessing there isn't much demand for those haircuts these days. Probably not, since it has been the same since 1980! I don't call my fake blonde wonderland a salon. More like what a movie set would look like if the scene called for the creepiest hair styling shop possible.

So why do I go there?

Well, would I enjoy sipping a latte, reading gossip mags and relaxing? Absolutely. Do I like holding my own foils, being in pain at the horribly rigged shampoo bowl and going home with wet unbrushed hair? No.

But, do I like saving $100 every 6-8 weeks by sacrificing ambiance for frugality? You betcha.

4. No, you can't pinch the baby.

So, the average client at this "salon" is 85 or so and is most likely getting a perm.

Yes, a perm.

When I was there this morning there were 5 sweet ladies with rows and rows of the little rollers in their silver hair.

Well, that break is over, because a girl can never have too many purses.

Suzee over at The Anderson Clan is hosting an Amy Butler Bag swap and wouldn't you know it? I have some Amy fabric that I have been dying to use. So hop on over to her blog and sign up by the end of the month. Who knows? Maybe we will be partners.

So, yes. Hate me. It is warm and sunny and we spent the morning at the beach.

Would have been Disneyland, but our (cheapskate) passes don't work on holidays.

Why don't you dig out your car, pack up and come for a little vacation?

Oh, the economy. Too bad. Maybe next year when global warming is only affecting Southern California and my cute winter coats and scarves are collecting dust. Maybe I will pack up my car and come out for some snow?

So, when you are done with all of the hating, do you want to learn super useless facts about me?

Everything in aqua I have done.

Everything in purple I hope to NEVER do. (Mostly daredevil type things.)

Everything in orange I hope to do one day. (Mostly overseas travel which could prove to be tricky, since I hate flying and don't like leaving my kids.)

Feel free to bore yourself.

1. Started your own blog.2. Slept under the stars. (Was devoured by mosquitoes.)3. Played in a band. (Toured with Jason's for years.)4. Visited Hawaii. (Could move there.)5. Watched a meteor shower.6. Given more than you can afford to charity. (Dare you to try it.)7. Been to Disneyland/world. (Whoo hoo season passes!)8. Climbed a mountain. (Backpacked near Yosemite.)9. Held a praying mantis. (One died on the porch last week and I put him in the trash.)10. Sang a solo. (Never.)11. Bungee jumped.12. Visited Paris.13. Watched a lightening storm at sea. (Sounds scary.)14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.15. Adopted a child. (We hope to one day.)16. Had food poisoning. (Way too many times.)17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.18. Grown your own vegetables. (Maybe this summer.)19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.20. Slept on an overnight train.21. Had a pillow fight.22. Hitch hiked. (Super stupid, but it was in Gunnison, CO where it is normal...)23. Taken a sick day when you were not ill. (Spring Fever count?)24. Built a snow fort.25. Held a lamb.26. Gone night swimming in the ocean. (Glad Jaws didn't get me.)27. Run a marathon. (No thanks.)28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.29. Seen a total eclipse30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.31. Hit a home run. (4th grade softball. The fence was really close.)32. Been on a cruise.33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.34. Visited the birthplace or your ancestors. (Ireland is calling me.)35. Seen an Amish community.36. Taught yourself a new language. (Me llamo Julia.)37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied. (Trying my best everyday.)38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.39. Gone rock climbing. (Hated it.)40. Seen Michelangelo's David.41. Sung karaoke. (Never ever ever.)42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.44. Visited Africa.45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.46. Been transported in an ambulance. (Who would want to?)47. Had your portrait painted. (Hardly like getting my picture taken.)48. Gone deep sea fishing. (Without the cleaning and gutting part.)49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling. (Hate it. Jason loves it. Jaws is after me.)52. Kissed in the rain.53. Played in the mud.54. Gone to a drive-in theater. (As a kid in my parents' VW pop top.)55. Been in a movie. (See #47)56. Visited the Great Wall of China.57. Started a business.58. Visited Russia.59. Taken a Martial Arts class.60. Served at a soup kitchen.61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.62. Gone Whale Watching. (Didn't see any. Threw up though.)63. Got flowers for no reason. (Happy daisies.)64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma.65. Gone sky diving.66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.67. Bounced a check. (College was full of bad financial decisions.)68. Flown in a helicopter.69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.71. Eaten caviar. (Ewwww.)72. Pieced a quilt.73. Stood in Times Square. (Just not on New Year's.)74. Toured the Everglades.75. Been fired from a job.76. Seen the changing of the guards in London.77. Broken a bone. (At preschool and my teacher didn't believe me.)78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.80. Published a book. (Does a Shutterfly photo book count?)81. Visited the Vatican.82. Bought a brand new car. (When I was 19. All by myself.)83. Walked in Jerusalem.84. Had your picture in the newspaper. (Just the local one.)85. Read the entire Bible. (The One Year Bible. You should try it.)86. Visited the White House. (Walked by).87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating. ( I was a vegetarian for 15 years. This won't happen.)88. Had chickenpox. (In 4th grade. Gave them to my softball team.)89. Saved someone's life. (Lifeguarding days.)90. Sat on a jury. (Have yet to be picked. But I am pretty biased.)91. Met someone famous.92. Joined a book club.93. Lost a loved one. (Her birthday is Saturday.)94. Had a baby.95. Seen the Alamo in person.96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.97. Been involved in a law suit.98. Owned a cell phone. (Come on, it is 2009. Who doesn't?)99. Been stung by a bee. (Thankfully only once.)

Each time I tire of living here... the Hummers, the Botox, the "Real Housewives", the over indulgence, I step back and remember why I love it.

I grew up here, my family lives here, it is always sunny and the things that the world defines as Orange County are not the same things by which I define my life.

We are different. We will always be different. There will always be something breaking in the house or our not-new cars. I will always be trying to figure out a way to make something for less, or fix something myself.

But that is how it was for me growing up. I feel it made me appreciate everything so much more and have a more realistic view of the world.

I hope our girls will feel the same way as they grow. That they will focus on our simple abundance, and not what others around them have.

So tonight I am curling up with Jason and Janey, watching The Notebook, and devouring this plate of happiness brought over by this sweetie. Who doesn't know me, but in a very non-Orange County way blessed our family with dinner tonight.

I don't need to move away. I have everything I need and more right here.

Because I am in desperate need of another thing to suck away my time....

So, I thought I would just peek around. Not send out any random friend requests. Just a handful to my inner circle.

Boy was I mistaken.

My inner circle of friends seems to have a rather large outer circle of friends.

Suddenly my inbox is OVERFLOWING with friend requests.

But here is where I get confused.

We haven't talked or seen each other for 15 years and you want to be my friend?

We weren't really even "friends" 15 years ago.

Or worse...

You see me every week at church but won't say hello to me unless I say it first and you want to be my friend?

Really?

I might cave to peer pressure, but I don't crave popularity. I don't care how big my friend list is. In fact I would prefer it to be small, thus producing less people I have to keep up with. But, I am thinking that most people do care, and that is why randoms are coming out of the woodwork begging to add me.

He isn't the cleanest comedian in town, but isn't the dirtiest either.

If you have a kid, or know anyone else with one, I promise you will laugh.

Or be offended.

Maybe my humor is a bit on the sarcastic side...

My sis in law and I have been pregnant at the exact same time for all of our kids. In fact, her due date is one day after mine with Janey, but while I get to have my babies early, she has to suffer it out until the bitter end. She is sort of hating me right now, as I will be pretty much settled and recovered before her little one even enters the world.

Any-whoo... when I was pregnant with Halley and she was pregnant with her firstborn, we joked about how many people would pull us aside and tell us in complete seriousness:

So as she sleeps the days and nights away in cozy baby bliss I need to find things to do.

The house is clean and the laundry is done (thanks to my mother in law and sweet husband).

I am on a self imposed project and activity break (thanks to c-section recovery).

Abundant meals show up at our door each night which turn into lunch the next day (thanks to our amazing church family and friends).

Halley is at school.

Lulu is on adventures with Jason or the grandparents each day (she is not the stay home and be quiet type of kid).

I only watch shows that are on the Tivo, and besides, daytime TV is HORRIBLE! I got a taste of it at the hospital and I never need to again.

Needless to say, this normally constantly busy

girl has a ton of newfound time on her hands.

So as I sit down this morning with the newspaper, my coffee, glorious fruit that Jason brought home for me and some homemade pumpkin pecan bread sent all of the way from the East Coast (thanks so much Crystal!) I am thinking about what this year holds. I am not one for resolutions, but I am one for living the life and being the person that God intends me to.

I came across this great post over at Simple Mom (love her) and am going to sit and chew on it for a bit. It calls for you to put your year in perspective and focus, instead of making a list of things to either check off in victory or failure. So while I can't be crafty or creative for a bit, I can think and pray about ways to make our family's life more fulfilling this year.